So easy to bake up, the BEST Banana Nut Muffins are light, tender and supremely moist! Filled with sweet banana flavor and studded with plenty of chopped pecans (or walnuts) for a nutty crunch, this banana muffin recipe is great for breakfast, brunch or a quick grab-and-go snack!

3 stacked banana nut muffins

BANANA NUT MUFFINS RECIPE

Muffins are one of my favorite snacks! I absolutely love enjoying one alongside a piping hot cup of coffee for an afternoon pick-me-up. They are always such a delicious treat, but when you add a bit of crunch to the mix, it really takes things over the top!

I know there’s about a thousand banana muffin recipes all over the internet but this is a foolproof recipe for the best, most moist, incredibly delicious banana nut muffins you will ever find. And if you’re not feeling the nuts, simply leave them out. You could even add other fun mix-ins, like chocolate chips or blueberries!

These take just minutes to mix up, and have plenty of irresistible nutty banana flavor that I just can’t get enough of. Once you try this banana nut muffin recipe, you’ll never want to make another banana muffin! The hardest part of making these muffins is waiting for them to bake and then cool. This is truly a must try muffin recipe!

banana muffins topped with chopped pecans

WHY WE LOVE THIS MUFFIN RECIPE 

This is one of my go-to muffin recipes! They taste just like banana bread and my husband requests these all the time! Here’s several reasons why they’re so great:

  • Quick and easy to make. You don’t need any special kitchen appliance to whip up these muffins. This recipe is all done by hand and only takes about 10 minutes to prepare and about 17 minutes to bake. So, in less than 30 minutes you can have freshly baked banana nut muffins. Yes, please!
  • Simple ingredients. This muffin recipe uses simple, basic baking ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Plus, I love that they’re a great way to make use of overripe bananas, on your counter, begging to be eaten!
  • So moist with incredible flavor. These muffins are tender and moist because they are made with 3 whole bananas! The banana/nut combination is one of my favorites and that sweet nutty taste really shines through in these muffins.
  • Can be made ahead of time and they freeze well. You can make this muffin recipe the night before and wake up to some amazing muffins! They last for 2-3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature or up to 5 days stored in the fridge. They also freeze beautifully! I love to prep these on Sunday and enjoy them during the week.
banana nut muffins in cupcake liners

INGREDIENTS NEEDED 

These banana muffins are made with simple ingredients to give them the perfect soft, tender crumb, plus sweet flavor from the ripe bananas. Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need:

  • Flour. For the best texture, I recommend using all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour.
  • Cornstarch. This is my “secret” ingredient to make these muffins super soft and tender. Cake flour is essentially regular flour with cornstarch added in, so we’re making a quick imitation cake flour for these muffins by adding in cornstarch. It’s an optional ingredient, so if you don’t have it, no worries.
  • Baking essentials. This banana muffins recipe calls for baking soda, baking powder and salt, so that they have the perfect rise and texture.
  • Flavor makers. Cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla are all optional, but the combination of these ingredients give the muffins a wonderful warm, cozy flavor.
  • Bananas. This recipe is a great way to use up over-ripened bananas! For sweeter banana muffins, make sure that your bananas are ripe with brown spots. Pro tip: If your bananas aren’t quite ripe enough, you can ripen them quickly by wrapping them in foil and popping them in a 350°F oven for 10-15 mins!
  • Sugars. I love using a combination of brown and white sugar because brown sugar helps to make the muffins soft, moist and flavorful. You can just use all white, granulated sugar, if that’s what you have available.
  • Egg. You’ll need one egg to help with binding and ensure the muffins bake properly.
  • Butter. I prefer to use unsalted butter in my baked goods and then add in extra salt. If you only have salted butter available, simply leave out the 1/2 teaspoon of salt in this recipe.
  • Nuts. Feel free to use any nuts that you like. I really like pecans or walnuts, but almonds taste lovely too! Don’t forget to sprinkle the tops of the muffins with some extra chopped nuts before baking!
ingredients divided into bowls for making banana nut muffins

HOW TO MAKE BANANA NUT MUFFINS

Like most muffin recipes, these banana muffins are very easy to whip up! Grab your muffin pan and spray it with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper liners and let’s bake! Here’s the simple process:

For full, printable instructions, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  1. Dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch (if using), baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Stir in the chopped nuts, reserving some for the tops of the muffins. Tossing the nuts (or any mix-in) in the flour ensures they don’t sink to the bottom of the muffin.
  2. Wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, combine the mashed bananas with sugars, egg, butter and vanilla. Stir vigorously until the mixture is smooth.
  3. Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Do NOT over-mix – some small streaks of flour are fine.
  4. Bake. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each one completely full and top with a some additional chopped nuts, if desired. Bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F, and then with muffins staying in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake muffins for 12-15 minutes more. The high heat will cause muffins to rise and then you will lower heat to cook the center of the muffin. I recommend checking muffins with a toothpick inserted in the center after about 12 minutes because mine were completely baked by 13 minutes.
  5. Cool + serve. Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy warm or at room temperature — they’re even more delicious the next day!
banana nut muffin in a muffin pan

TIPS FOR RECIPE SUCCESS

These banana nut muffins are so easy to make, but here are a few tips to make sure they are perfect every time!

  • Measure flour correctly. Too much flour can cause muffins to be dry and crumbly. The most precise way to measure ingredients is with a food scale and I’ve listed the ingredients in grams for your convenience. If you don’t have a food scale, whisk the flour first, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and level off the top (without shaking the measuring cup).
  • Cornstarch. It is not a must to add cornstarch in this recipe, but it will yield the best results. Cornstarch softens the harsh proteins of flour, making a more tender baked good. If you don’t have cornstarch, feel free to omit.
  • Do NOT over-mix batter. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together by gently folding them with a large spoon or spatula. Do not use a whisk. Over-mixing the batter can produce tough muffins.
  • Big muffin tops. I learned this simple muffin trick from Sally and it’s my favorite for getting those beautiful tall muffin tops. Start the muffins baking at a high temperature of 425 degrees F. That bit of high heat will help the tops of the muffin rise up. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and cook the center of the muffin. Such a simple baking hack that makes such a difference to the appearance of these (or any) muffins.
butter melting over the top of a banana nut muffin

CUSTOMIZE YOUR MUFFINS

There are so many different ways to add new flavors to these muffins! Here are a few of my favorite ideas:

  • Chocolate. Make these chocolate chip banana muffins by omitting the nuts and using about 3/4 to 1 cup mini or regular chocolate chips. You can even use different flavored baking chips – butterscotch or peanut butter would be tasty options.
  • Fruit. You can add about 1/2 cup diced strawberries or blueberries into the batter for incredible fruity flavor.
  • Add-ins. Customize these muffins by stirring in other ingredients such as toasted coconut, dried fruit, coconut extract or almond extract.
  • Streusel topping. Try a delicious streusel topping for your muffins by mixing together 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle the streusel over the top of your muffins, then bake as directed.
  • Glaze topping. Mix 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar with 1 to 2 teaspoons milk. Stir until smooth and drizzle over the cooled muffins.

SERVING OPTIONS

These easy banana nut muffins are great as a portable snack and I love them for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of nut butter. However, we most often enjoy these for breakfast and they pair well with a variety of breakfast sides. Below are some favs:

  • Fresh fruit or fruit salad. To keep this breakfast on the lighter side, fruit is such a great option.
  • Greek yogurt. Serve on the side or crumble your muffin over the yogurt.
  • Bacon, sausage, or ham. Adds some extra protein and staying power to your meal.
  • Eggs. Gives you a bit of savory to balance out the sweet muffins.

STORAGE TIPS

Banana nut muffins taste excellent straight out of the oven, but we love them even more the next day!

  • To store. Let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack before placing them in a storage container. Next, line the bottom of an airtight storage container with a paper towel and place the muffins in a single layer on the paper towel. Finally, top your muffins with another paper towel to absorb the excess moisture. Store at room temperature for up to two days and then in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
  • Reheat. If you’d like to enjoy your muffins warm, simply pop a muffin in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds and they will taste like they were freshly baked.
  • To freeze. These muffins, like most, freeze beautifully! Individually wrap them in plastic, then place them in a resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To enjoy, let them thaw at room temperature or rewarm gently in the microwave.

Recommended tools

  • Mixing bowls – Any mixing bowls will do the trick. We love this nonslip mixing bowl set from Amazon.
  • Nonstick muffin pan – This is where quality matters! I was given this muffin pan from Williams Sonoma and LOVE it. I don’t have to use paper liners and my muffins always come out so easily. As an added plus, there’s never cooked muffin left stuck to the pan, so it’s super easy to clean.
  • Cooling rack – I wouldn’t say a cooling wire rack is completely necessary, but it’s definitely nice to have one available. These allow for airflow and even cooling of your baked goods.

MORE BANANA RECIPES

Looking for more ways to use up ripe bananas? Enjoy these other delicious recipes:

If you try this banana nut muffins recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re baking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

3 stacked banana nut muffins
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Banana Nut Muffins

So easy to bake up, the BEST Banana Nut Muffins are light, tender and supremely moist! Filled with sweet banana flavor and studded with plenty of chopped pecans (or walnuts) for a nutty crunch, this banana muffin recipe is great for breakfast, brunch or a quick grab-and-go snack!
Author: Kim

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch, optional
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
  • 3/4 cup (about 73g) chopped pecans or walnuts , reserve some for topping
  • 3 large (about 300g) very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (55g) brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/3 cup (75g) melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare a muffin pan with cooking spray or paper muffin cups and get out of all the necessary ingredients.
    ingredients needed to make banana nut muffins
  • In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in the chopped nuts (reserve some for topping the muffins); set aside. When measuring flour, spoon flour into cup (rather than scooping with cup) and then without shaking the cup, level using the straight side of a butter knife. 
    mixing chopped pecans with dry ingredients
  • In a separate medium bowl, combine mashed bananas with sugars, egg, butter and vanilla. Stir vigorously until the mixture is smooth. 
    mashed banana mixed with egg and sugar
  • Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add wet ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Don't overmix – some small streaks of flour are fine.
    combining mashed banana mixture with flour mixture
  • Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tins filling each one completely full and top with some additional chopped nuts. Bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees F. and then with muffins staying in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees F. and bake muffins for 12-15 minutes more. The high heat will cause muffins to rise and then you will lower heat to cook the center of the muffin. I recommend checking muffins after about 12 minutes because mine were completely baked by 13 minutes.
    transferring muffin batter into muffin pan
  • Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan. Enjoy!
    baked banana nut muffins in muffin pan

Notes

Storage: Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for about two days or place muffins into an airtight container or zip-top bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freezing: Place muffins into a freezer-safe zip-top baggie or other storage container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired.
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 231kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 241mg, Potassium: 183mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 16g, Vitamin A: 198IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 1mg

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